I got a gripe with lousy service.

You seem to have a “Lousy service” magnet attached to you lapel. You get all of the wierd ones.

I’m glad that you were able to find your replacement.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Karson, I debated on wether to post his info or not for that reason.
But, in the interest of giving my fellow woodworkers a heads up I went forward with the adventure..
I didn’t mention that I detailed this same informtion to the head office on Tuesday and this morning gave them another prompt to respond which the have overlooked or at worst case, choosen to ignore.
God, I hope you’re wrong about the magnet! ;-)

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I hate to say it, but some of my worst service has come from the guys at the Rockler in Cincinnati. I don’t think customer service skills are a job requirement for woodworkers stores in general anywhere.

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

I particularly hate that “glass ceiling” between me and the management.
Maybe the internet wil crack that with more anecdotes that give folks a heads up.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Wow Bob…sorry to hear about the mishap and the lousy C/S you received. I guess it all depends on who picks up the phone on the other end as to what kind of service you will receive. The first mishap I had with the same said company…I got a great lady to handle it and she gave me her direct company # and e-mail to help with the problem ….she took care of everything sent me a upgraded tool and gave me extra stuff to make up for it. I made sure to file her # away for future reference if I have another snafu someday.

Glad I did not get the same person you had…ugh !!!!

-- Don S.E. OK

inteligence or being polite ,
does not seem to be a requirement ,
in many aspects of life !
perhaps you should go after the shirt co
in china for making a loose pocket ? lol ?
i do hope you get demagnitized soon though ,
the only problem with smooth sailing ,
is sometimes you have to go in a direction
you don’t want to go in .

thanks for the guide shelf for t.s. ,
i made one , and it is great !

-- david ,new mexico ,allheart

Don, I didn’t have a problem with Wood craft and I would hate to leave that impression here.
It is with a Canadian distributor of wood tools and unfortunately, the problem is becoming more evident with them as the decision making for the Company is left with the employees , only to a certain extent.
That means they are unable to follow through on any obvious problem and the owners seem to hear a different drummer.
I get the feeling that the clerks have adapted themselves to the idea that the”customer is always stupid” category.
That could become costly.

It just put one chain here out of business.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Sorry to hear about your magnet Bob2. But I was beginning to wonder if I was the only guy in the world this kind of stuff happens to??

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

My bad Bob…I misunderstood where you were having the problems at.

-- Don S.E. OK

Maybe a solution to the original problem, dropping the remote in a spinning blade, try putting the remote on a retractable key ring that can clip on your belt or apron if you use one.

-- My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist....medic20447@gmail.com

I’ll tell you what Bob, I never received such great service as I did when I complained about Bostich in the reviews part of our different sections here. I got an e-mail direct from the director of product developement wanting to know what he could do for me to make things right. I got a new compressor, nail gun that wasn’t on the market yet, and all new hose and another e-mail wanting to know what else he could do. One of his employees saw my complaint. Don’t think those companies arn’t watching and listening to whats going on here, all but Delta. Now there’s a company I could scream about. But I won’t, like hell i won’t it’s over a part for my lathe they say they don’t make any more. I just noticed in a Rockler ad they are selling the same damn lathe again. On sale even. With my part on them they don’t have. That I called all over the US, and looked all over the net trying to find. Some companys care unless they are big enough they don’t have to.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

Medicken, I usually wear a labcoat with the thing in the pocket but being Sunda yafternoon and only wanting to trim a stick—-bingo.
Mike, If they are watching great. I was not looking for compensaiton as muchs as I was hoping for ”customer service”
I have long been a customer of Lee Valley so I know what service is all about.
I am afraid that these guys just don’t get it!
I don’t really appreciate being lied to.
Caveat Emptor.

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob I know C/S, my wife and daughter both work for Jackson National Life Insurance, well not my wife anymore, but she did for 12 years. They trained a bunch about customer service and the importance of. If you run into some jerk you can complain to someone higher, and you’ll get their freaking jobs. No company wants employee nowdays screwing people, dollars are to hard to come by. Go over their head call customer service and speak to a manager, not at the store you dealt with but a bigger store or “the” store and you’ll get satisfaction, I garuantee it.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

It’s just you, Bob. Everybody takes you for a sheep in wolf’s clothing. :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Jockmke I don’t want compensation from them, just posted a warning for others here .
Charlie , I am starting o feel like a lab rt. .

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I have the same remote set up for my main dust collector and and know how lost I’d be if my “remote button” was destroyed as I use it all the time. Thanks for the tip and I’m glad you are getting your replacement.

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

Bob in BB’s defense I’ve had several dealings with the company, for the most part I found their staff knowledgeable and quite helpful. I think you just found an employee that just didn’t give a dam about his job or the company that pays him. I have had this issue more at the big box stores with their minimum wage staffers, with little or no experience in the field. They likely who used to be corporate workers and now have been made redundant (at least their working). I’m glad you got your issue resolved.
Bruce

-- Canadian Wood Chuck (Bruce)

Bruce, when three clerks and head office all tell you that your much needed part is not available and you find it somewhere else it shakes the confidence that you might normally have in the company.
I called head office by e-mail and received a response from the automated service but to date no person has responded.
What am I to take from that? ( that was Monday)
If you look on their website someone thinks the 110volt unit is an optional item for the 220 volt unit and vice versa for the 110 volt unit..
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?NTITEM=CT075220
One of the clerks was gracious enough to explain that to me. – Oh joy!

Optional Items Available
Model CT075B – Batteries
Model CT075 – 110V Remote for Dust Collectors Up To 1 1/2 HP
This is still on the website!

My posting here was meant to give other Canadians a heads up instead of having to spend another 110.00 dollars for a new remote they could perhaps purchase it from this alternate supplier with an additional remote for the same or less or they could just buy the remote.

Cheers
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Hi Bob, I have read this article with a smile on my face – we only get 2 types of service here – extremely good service or NO service, bad service would be welcomed in lieu of NO service.

In defence of the company selling the product – the remote and the main unit are paired, so that they operate with the correct coding/Chanel (depending how it is configured). However these are usually “DIP” Switch selectable, so that if you have another remote (different appliance operating on the same channel/coding), you can change the channel coding to avoid co-interference – otherwise you TV controller may start your dust collector when you change the channel.

So that their excuse that remotes are paired is correct, but what happens when they get a fault with a remote, do they change the whole package? And yes so many companies today employ people with no education, No motivation, and No Loyalty to the company – they are just McJobs and McEmployees

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Hi Tony:
I believe there is a “regulator body” over here that sets the frequencies that varous signals are allowed to use in their transmitters.
The result is that telephones, radios, cell phones and garage door openers etc. all are restricted to a specific range of frequency.
In the case of these transmitters, according to Woodcraft the keypad will activate either the 110 volt system or the 220 volt system suggesting that they have chosen a standard frequency for these units.
As a merchandiser here I can understand the difficulty in getting correct information from manufacturers but it does not absolve me from the duty to my customers.
It takes me a few second to contact any manufacturer in the world and I usually get some form of anser in 24 hours.
In my own business I have always made a point of carrying back up parts for everything I sell my customers.
There are some case where equipment must be serviced at a factory and we try to get the customer to carry a spare unit as we have trouble stocking loaners as the models change rapidly .

At least they are told up front. Mcjobs are a result of Mceducation and Mcattitude. No one can pay people from profits thay have not earned.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I also seem to have this particular magnet. In fact, I seem to have several varieties of this magnet. It’s frustrating as hell. I’m either having attempts made to “sell me up,” on something, or nothing that I need is in stock, or they only have whatever I need as part of a set, or they don’t even know what I’m talking about, or blah, blah, blah. And the customer service just about everywhere is a joke anymore. When my husband and I worked for HD 12 years ago, we were trained to know the ins-and-out of EVERY department, so that we could help anybody who came into the store, with whatever it was that they needed. Now I go in there (to the same exact store) to shop and to ask questions about projects I’m tackling, and NOBODY knows ANYTHING about ANYTHING. And that’s IF I can even find someone to talk to. I swear the employees are all in the bathrooms hiding all the time, or something! lol It’s the same at most of the hardware stores, except for the mom-and-pop ones. That’s where the good service resides. Too bad those places have terrible in-stock inventory. Bah. With me, the old phrase always seems to prove true. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, so I feel your pain. ;)

-- Tiffany Jeanne Balk ~ Labor, Live, Love, Learn, Repeat.

Tiffany, I finally recieved a reply from customer service a few moment ago.
Basicallly this is the gist of it:

”Dear Customer,
Thank you for your email.
Unfortunately we do not have the remotes separately since they are programmed and supplied with the switch.
We appreciate your interest in our products.”
For the time being I will have to wait for the switch from Woodcraft to arrive.

For their sake I almost hope it does not work because this certainly wont look all that pretty now will it?

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob – Sadly, your story is more the norm than the exception, in my experience, anyway. Maybe I’m just getting crotchety in my old age, but it seems as though regardless of the field of endeavor, by the time you eliminate the liars, the incompetents, the thieves, the ones who simply don’t give a damn, and the ones who fall under multiples of these categories, there’s no one left.

Or if there is, they don’t service your area.

Again, sad, but so true.

Dan

Dan, it would seem we are all in the midst of reaping the benefits of that “busniess model”.

I think you pretty much covered all the folks I have to deal with on a daily basis. <g>

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Out of curiosity, I opened my remote, which is identical to the ones pictured here. As mentioned earlier, there is a set of eight DIP switches. Of course, to get the new one to work, you will have to set the switches to be the same as on the old remote. If that one is damaged beyond recognition, you might have to open the receiver.

-- Chuck - Central Massachusetts

I haven’t read this entire thread so forgive me if this has been suggested already, but especially given what Chuck just said, in operating theory at least, these things are nothing more than a variation on the garage door opener. Setting the DIP switches as he suggests should do the trick, assuming there has been no design change from the time your receiver was made to the production of the replacement remote.

Dan

Chuck, thanks for the tip . If that’s the case I am golden!
Way over the abilities of customer service I guess.

Can you imagine tossing out your TV set because your kid dropped the channel changer in the toilet?

Grrrr!

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob, I didn’t read all of the responses, but this forum seems to have a little influence on folks you’re dealing with. At least some of the national companies. When I contact them, I let them know that the results of my experience with them will be posted on the Lumber Jocks forum. The thought of 11,000+ woodworkers seeing feedback about their company, seems to make them think twice about how they treat you. At least the ones that may try to pull a “fast one”.
And I think to be linguistically correct, it’s “el toro ca ca”

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

Tenontim I did not post this to leverage any intimidation with the said distributor.
Each of us must make our own decisions .
That said, I would quite naturally warn you if I knew some one of thing was about to harm you physically of financially.

That’s part of the reason that these forums exist now.

Cheers
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Wow. What a runaround it is. Good luck getting that one rectified! lol

-- Tiffany Jeanne Balk ~ Labor, Live, Love, Learn, Repeat.

At DanM ’s suggestion I went to the shop tonight to round up the broken pieces of the keypad switch and check for dip switches.
Sure enough they we there!
I soldered the battery terminal back on the circuit board and voila it still runs!
I am finding enough of the case to get the c/boards covered and will just tape it over to keep the dust out.
Now when my new one arrives I’ll just have to set it the same as these dip switches if it it’s not already set that way and I will have two switches.

From shop pics 2009

Thanks for the tip Dan.
The border is getting smaller all the time! <g>

Cheers
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Hey Bob
Looks like a perfect steampunk project. Make your self a wooden case with type of writer keys or something.

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Great outcome!

Dan

Bob I wish you luck, but if the remotes use different protocols, then you might find that they are incompatible.

With regard to the manufacturers comment “Unfortunately we do not have the remotes separately since they are programmed and supplied with the switch.” Why oh Why to manufacturers think that ALL customers are MORONS like the McStaff that they employ – how difficult would it be to provide a simple instruction on how to set the Dip switch settings on the remote. This manufacturer definitely gets the “Thumbs Down” from me with regard to Service and Customer satisfaction.

Just as a matter of interest how far is from the table saw to to the DC – with all this stress & hassle I think I would walk to the main switch a few times a day – the exercise is good for us anyway :)

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Another thought just came to mind – The Radio frequency used is controlled by the government or some official body – but the protocol-coding used is up to the manufacturer. What happens if you buy two units, or your (not very friendly) neighbour has one, and they are on the same channel/coding – they must provide some instruction as how to alter the “paired coding” so not to cause interference to other users.

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Thanks for the suggestion Dan but my honey-do list puts that one way down on the pile.
Tony, over here many remote switches are sold with 2 keypads and with garage door openers you can get one for the whole family if you choose.
I think the problem with interference with other receivers is dealt with by the distance between receivers ( ie over x number of meters)
There are 8 switches on the key pad so I presume a different combination of setting would work on a different frequency.
(I’m guessing but it’s not Rocket surgery;-0 )
I would have appreciated a note and diagram from the manufacturer but we live in strange times.
I could walk to the DC and turn it on and off but it really interferes with my set ups when I have a series of tasks to do and don’t want the dc humming at me through the whole deal.

All I know is that lots of appliances have remotes today and the problem of interference seems minimal or non existent.

One has to wonder what type of honest service to expect from a dealer that has problems with a small situation like this.
It stikes me as very odd that on dealer offers additional keypads while the other insists they are not programable?
What if I lost the channel changer for my TV? Would it follow that I would have to buy another TV set?
Absolute nonsense.

Cheers
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

The systems can all operate on the same frequency. The DIP switch setting prevents your remote from controlling your neighbor’s DC and vice-versa – unless one of you is devious and patient enough to try all the 256 possible settings until you hit the right one.

These remotes work like the “second stage wireless garage door opener system” described here.

-- Chuck - Central Massachusetts

Bob

Normally the frequency is not changed – it is a broad band spread spectrum – but the data sent (coding) is changed, just like a digital lock, with the correct code it will operate.

I thought you were going to put your DC outside like I did, you can then forget to turn it off as I do, because you do not hear it, just the hiss of escaping vacuum air….. Outside I can notice the drone (very low level, I guess under 30dB) of the 2×3HP DC motors and fans whilst running. By the way it also reduces the need for these expensive 1 micron filters :)

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Thanks Chuck. I will have to brush up on this a bit now that I am on my own getting this switch to function.

Tony, I cant afford the heat loss from going outside with the DC.
How do you manage that one in your “temperate” winters? <g>
p.s. I forget to turn it off now!

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Hi Bob;

I could give you the short response to this, but it wouldn’t help.

You need to buy the long version. LOL

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Lee I looked up the long version here! <g>

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob, I thought I had replied to your question yesterday regarding heat loss. I do not find any discernible difference when the DC is ON or OFF during the winter months. With temperatures between -30° and -5° for most of the period between November and March, the work shop stays at about +15° – 20°C.

When working on a project I tend to use the Machines and DC for one or two days only, the remainder is done with Hand tools wherever possible and for small electrical tools I tend to use a portable/mobile DC in the shop. If I have to make some quick cuts on the TS, then I tend not to use the DC, unless it something like particle board or MDF (nasty stinky stuff), then I give it a clean out when the main DC system is switched on.

I do not how it is going to work this year during the winter, as there are now two of full time workers in the workshop, so I guess a little more wood may be needed on the fire – but there again there is some much “Hot Air” generated by the both of us, I thought about not using the fire this winter :)

The big advantages to having the DC system outside are:

No Noise
Reduced dust
No expensive 1 micron filters
Circulates a small amount of warm air (from the motors) in the wood store (outside),
Increased space inside at least 6 square meter (65 sq ft)
No mess inside when emptying the DC

Disadvantages

Possible minute heat loss.

I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages – I thought I had posted the DC system on LJ, but you can find details of the DC system in this link

Sorry I seem to have digressed from the main topic of your remote control and the problems with the manufacturer.

PS. Correction to my earlier comment: it is 2×2HP motors, not 2×3HP

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Thanks Tony, I taking notes from you on this one.
It may just be a “saw off” re the heat Loss vs the extra space and between noise control.
I was thinking of building a storage unit next to the shop and stuffing the unit in there when I first set up but my city officials here would not relinquish the extra 3 feet require. It seems they may have had second thoughts now.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

It is well worth the effort, beleive me – good luck

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Just a follow up on the remote key switch for this duct collector system.
I recieved my new switch today.
It’s identicle to the one I broke except that it contains instructions for setting the dip switches to match the base unit.
It would appear that Woodcraft was able to do their homework and not only provide point of sale for the units but also that little extra that separates good companies from the pack.
Incidently they use “Borderfree” to Canada which remove sthe hassel of the border and brings the goods in at about the same cost as shipping them within Canada.

Nice job Woodcraft! 5 stars*

From wood stuff 2009

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

This is exactly the simple thing that we were all talking about – it is not rocket science for the manufacturer to have undertaken this service.

You did not mention if it worked or not?

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Hi Tony:
Looking abck on this fiasco it obvious that the manufacturer would not set up a world wide market for a product that required trained electonic technicians to maintain serviceability.
Common sense dictates that a simple dip switch system would be the most serviceable.

I can’t help but wonder if :
“A” the company I dealt with is not up to speed with technology .
“B” The company deliberately omits additional remotes to boost sales.
“C” They simply don’t care.

The problems is resolved for me as the remote works as suggested.
I posted this here to help other LJ’s tht might be duped into thinking that this could not be done. I also appreciate it when I ask someone a question that if they don’t have the correct answer that they don’t make one up.
A decent supplier would find out for his customer.

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I do not agree with “A” – they did build the thing after all, but points “B” &”C” I suspect are 100% correct – it is just a shame that unhelpful companies are still in business, whilst good old fashioned companies, who pride them selves on customer care and service are going out of business left right and centre.

Still at the end of the day, you got you box working again and now just think how many calories you are saving (very green saving energy like this) by remotely switching on the DC. :)

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Tony, the guys in part “A” are the distributors for the thing up here. They most likely had the choice to sell the remotes as just like Woodcraft does but opted to keep it simple and ultimately more profitable by selling more systems. ( i’m guessing here but what else?)

“now just think how many calories you are saving (very green saving energy like this) by remotely switching on the DC. :)”
p.s. I swim now once a week so extra exercise in the shop is cancelled until further notice :-).

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

If it keeps on raining as it did the other day, I will be able to swim to my DC switch – extra exercise is always good for you especially if followed by a few beers and some really good food:)

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Tony, my wife has me going with here to “aquazing” AKA exercise in the water to music.
I’m having trouble keeping up right now and hoping all those women will slow down a bit for me! <g>
p.s. Yer right on about the appetizers before strenuous exercise. ;-)

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob: Glasd to hear that this item is solved to your usefulness, by your research. These things are just like remotes for ceiling fans. Your instructions say it will now operate your fan.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Thanks Karson.
I hope I save other lj’s the expense of having to purchase and entire unit when only the remote key is lost or laundered or sawed up.

Cheers
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner